Centrifugal drier



Aug. 31, 1937.

F. VAN IMPE CENTRIFUGAL DRIER' Filed Aug. 17, 1935 Patented Aug. 31, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application August 17,1935, Serial No. 36,673

In Belgium November 30, 1934 1 Claim.

. The present invention relates to centrifugal driers and has more particularly in view a new construction capable of securing to the machine a perfect working,- independently of the distribu- 5 tion of the materials to be dried which have been introduced into the basket.

It is known indeed, that the extracting by centrifuging presents some practical difilculties, by reason of the irrregularity of the distribution of the masses to be dried within the rotary basket, from which result most considerable eccentric efforts, due to the speed of rotation itself required for the drying.

Palliatives have already been proposed, such l5.as namely an elastic coupling between the rigid shaft and the basket itself, or furthermore the substitution for the rigid shaft of a relatively strong helical spring.- These means have always for object .to absorb the main portion of the'eccentric efforts, and to bring the elements of rotation in a more or less complete equilibrium, so as to secure stability to the machine in movement. I

The devices known at present present considerable advantages over the fixed device, whereas furthermore noticeable drawbacks subsist, the main one of which is the constant danger in the case of breakage of the proposed elastic means. Indeed, it is comprehensible that, in view of the great speed at which the extracting basket moves, such breakage would unavoidably cause serious consequences.

The present invention relates to an intermediary solution, in which the-connection be- 5 tween the drying basket and the rotary shaft is kept rigid, whereas said shaft is capable of moving accordingto a duly conditioned whirling movement. For this purpose,- it is mounted at the bottom in a ball-headed bearing, the outer 40 socket of which is rigidly fixed in 'a convenient element. At the top, this same shaft is mounted in a second ball-headed bearing, the outer socket of which is fixed in an element elastically connected to fixed points of the outer casing. of the machine. This elastic connection is embodied by the radial arrangement of a determined number of helical springs. In these conditions, the shaft and the drying basket to which it is firmly connected are capable of moving according to a combination of movements which result from a revolution about the properly so-called shaft, and from a revolution of the axis of the shaft around a virtual axis passing through the center of the machine.

. 55 constructional details cooperate to 5. better working of such device and they will appear from the practical example described in detail hereafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical radial section, whereas 'Fig. 2 is a plan view showing particularly'the arrangement of the radial springs.

In this example and according to the invention, the drying machine thus comprises mainly an extracting basket I, of known type, rigidly mounted upon the upper end of a rigid shaft 2. The connection of these two elements is obtained by the engagement upon the upper end of the shaft of a collar disc 3, upon which rests the'corresponding portion of the bottom of the basket, which is thusfirmly fixed by a nut 4 and a washer 5. For reasons of security, this nut will be locked by any means.

In the center of the basket I and on the por-. tion of the bottomcorresponding to the disc 3 is fixed a substantially conical hell 6 forming a protection for the fixation means of the shaft 2, and having moreover as a second function to secure a more dispersed arrangement of the materials to be dried within the basket.

At the bottom the shaft 2 is mounted in a ballheaded bearing 1. For this purpose, the bottom end of this shaft 2 is shouldered over, whereas the outer socket of the ball-headed bearing is fixed in a convenient casing 8 of a sleeve 9. The latter is profiled so as to receive, on the one hand, the outer socket 8 of the ball-headed bearing 1, and on the other hand to present upwardly an enlargement in for the purpose of conveniently restricting the movements of the shaft 2. The sleeve 9 is fixed in the base II of the machine by means of bolts l2 for instance.

By way of constructional characteristics, it is tobe noted that the ball-headed bearing 1 may be very rapidly mounted and removed, by the fact of the provision of a removable underfiange l3.

Upwardly, the shaft 2 is mounted in the ballheaded hearing I, the outer socket of which 'is-fixed in a ring l5 of convenient shape. The latter is connected to fixed points of the outer casing it of the machine by a number of helical springs l'l, radially arranged. In fact, such springs are six in number and are uniformly stretched between the fixed points l8 of the machine and said ring is.

Under these conditions, it will be understood that 'the latter may be moved laterally by stretching a number of springs I! and compressing in a corresponding manner the opposite The irmer race of the ball-headed bearing I4 is engaged upon a shouldered portion of the 5 shaft 2 and is strongly held in the required position by the upper nut l, which has thus as multiple function to fix the drying basket I, the inner ring of the ball-headed bearing M and, sumequently, a protection plate It rigidly fixed 1 between the lower part of the disc 3 and an intermediary ring 2l resting against' the ballheaded hearing I, The'drying basket is capableof moving in the upper portion of the casing 16 which is limited downwardly by a bottom 22 having an inclined wall so as to direct the extracted waters precisely to the'exhaust piping 36. This bottom 22 is moreover limited in its center by an opening 22, the size of which is determined in accordance with the maximum movement allowed to the rotary shaft 2. Moreover, the protection plate I! will systematically prevent the drops of water which'may spread between the bottom of the drying basket I and the bottom 22 of the ex- 5 haust chamber for the water, from falling upon the ball-headed bearing II and, as a consequence, deteriorate the latter.

The driving device comprises an electric motor.

24, the rotary movement of which is transmitted to the rigid shaft 2 by means of a belt25 having a trapezoidal section. For this purpose, the

pulleys 26 and 21, respectively fixed upon the Finally, the machine is completed by a braking device, in fact constituted by ashoe 2B of wood for instance, 'and of which a downward nipple 29 of polygonal shape freely 6 8 8 in a hole 22, of convenient section, provided at the end of a pedal moved lever ii. The latter can oscillate around a pivot 32 and can be brought back normally to its inoperative position under its own weight or by any elastic element. Preferably also, the opening will have inner walls widening downwardly, so as toallow the shoe 2! to instantaneously follow the movement of the pulley 2G and thus become firmly applied against the lower face of the latter without producing eccentric efiorts, which would be detrimental to the rational strain of the moving sys- The outer casing! is obviously profiled in anymannerandconnectedtothe base ll of the machine by convenient means. Upwardly, this casing comprises a suificiently great opening for introducing and removing the material to be dried and capable of receiving a clomng cover of convenient shape and size.-

. Finally, it may also be provided accessorily to ments will be moved in particularly favourable 10 conditions, even when the distribution of the materials to bedriedwould be very irregular within the basket L- Indeed, at starting, the radial helical springs I! will absorb the eccentric efforts whichwill determine a more or less con- .1 siderable whirling movement of the drying basket, su'ch movement being progressively decreased when the machine reaches .its normal speed, so as to reach finally a balanced position of a perfect stability.

The particularly simple braking device perinits to produce a rapid arrest of the machine, and this without special wear upon the system in movement, by the fact that the shoe, generally of wood, instantaneously-contacts with the lower 25 face of the driven pulley, upon which the braking effort will thus be applied normally and instantaneously with the maximum force.

The centrifugal machine is capable of running in a practically perfect manner, as well at start 30 ing as in normal working and 'as in its braking Such device may obviously be used for drying machines of any type and for various uses, among which for instance the household driers 35 for linen, for drying all fibrous materials, for separating solid .bodles and liquid or \iscous bodies and the like.

I claim: 7 a

A centrifugal drier comprising a base, an outer casing fixed to said base, a rotary extractor 0 basket arranged within said casingba central substantially vertical shaft supporting the basket, a sleeve fixed in the centralopen portion of the base and surrounding the shaft over a substantial length, said sleeve having its upper portion widened out, a bottom ball-headed bearing for said shaft mounted between the lower end of the sleeve and the shaft, a top ball-headed bearing for said shaft underneath the basket,

a ring-like member in whichis mounted this 50 last-mentioned bearing, radially arranged helical springs connecting said ring-like member to the inner wall of the casing, a grooved pulley fixed to the lower end of the shaft close against the bottom ball-headed bearing, a motor fixed to the 6 base, a belt transmission between the pulley and the motor, and a braking device comprising a disc engaging said pulley in the axial direction, a pivoted operating lever 'for said disc and a freely swinging connection between the disc and 60 7 its operating lever.

FALDANI VAN IMPE. 

